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Gypsy Saunders on the road to boxing fame - guardian.co.uk

Gypsy Saunders on the road to boxing fame guardian.co.uk, UK - Jun 5, 2008 Saunders is one of eight Britons qualified for the Olympics in August and he is being tipped to make a similar impact to Amir Khan who won a silver medal in ...

Gypsy Saunders on the road to boxing fame - guardian.co.uk
Althoughhe recovered to clinch third place and book his seat on theplane to Beijing, Saunders goes to China with a point to prove. He can be an Olympic champion straightaway if he gets the right draw." Saunders has become something of a folk hero among thetravelling community and he knows an Olympic medal can changehis life forever. He went to a gym and I followed along, I'veloved it ever since. His great-grandfather AbsolomBeeney, now in his late 90s, was a bare-knuckle prize fighter inthe boxing booths around the show grounds of England. His progress suffered a blip in Pescara, Italy, this yearwhen he lost narrowly on points to Ukrainian Oleksandr Stretskyyin the semi-finals of an Olympic qualifier. However, he has takenthe sport by storm and now looks a good bet for a welterweightmedal four years ahead of schedule. I don't want him growing up with all that. I look at it that I'vegot this opportunity and nobody is going to beat me." OLD-FASHIONED UPBRINGING Saunders spends much of his time at the British AmateurBoxing institute in Sheffield. I wanthim to get educated and have the best opportunities." Saunders' father Tom, who will travel to Beijing to watchhis son, says his son has been brought up the old-fashioned way. Ican't think of another Romany gypsy who has done so well. It ended a 49-fight winning sequence that included beatingCuban number one Carlos Bantuer in Bulgaria this year. It's notan easy route I've taken but I've all my life to do otherthings." His older brother Tom, a promising light heavyweight, hasalready turned pro and won three fights. Like Khan, who is fiercely proud of his Pakistani roots,Saunders is determined to provide a "good news" story for asection of the community often given a rough ride in the media. My dad has always keptme away from all that, we have always been sensible. Olympics is the biggest thing on the planet. Regular trips to Europe also keephim away from his 10-month-old son, also called Billy Joe. Saunders has noimmediate thought of going down the same route. Saunders is one of eight Britons qualified for the Olympicsin August and he is being tipped to make a similar impact toAmir Khan who won a silver medal in Athens four years ago. The bare knuckle image is not what we're about." Saunders was spotted by British coaches as a junior andearmarked for the London 2012 Olympics. Unlike "Pickles", as his great-grandad is known to regularsat his local pub, Saunders demonstrates the noble art wearingleather gloves.